14 Israeli ministers, Knesset speaker sign joint letter to demand annexation of occupied West Bank
Fourteen ministers from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party called on the premier on Wednesday evening to immediately annex the occupied West Bank.
In a letter addressed to Netanyahu and shared by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on X, the signatories called on the government “to apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria (West Bank) before the end of the Knesset summer session,” which concludes on July 27.
The ministers argued that the current “strategic partnership and backing and support of the US and President Donald Trump create a favorable time to lead this move (annexation) now.”
The letter also warned that recognizing settlement blocs while establishing a Palestinian state on the remaining land poses an “existential threat to Israel.”
Among the signatories were the ministers of defense, economy, agriculture, energy, communications, transportation, justice, tourism, innovation, culture, diaspora affairs, education, social equality, regional cooperation, and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.
The Palestinian Authority has consistently affirmed that the West Bank is an integral part of a future Palestinian state, warning that any annexation of the occupied territory would mark the collapse of the two-state solution.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Middle East War.
Israel has accelerated its settlement activities in the occupied territory since the start of its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.
According to Palestinian figures, at least 988 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured in the West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers since October 2023.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) last July declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
